Manually-selective vending machine



-Dec.'25, 1928. I

. r w. C CUILER v MANUALLY SELECTIVE VENDING manner: 7

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I F'F IJT A TTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 25,1928.

UNITED .STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MENTS, TO SELECTIVE AUTOMATIC MANUFACTURING CORPORATION, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

' MANUALLY-SELECTIVE VENDING MACHINE.

Application filed. September 2, 1925. Serial No. 54,073.

The present invention relates to machines for vending an assortment of articles and pertains more particularly to selective machines. v

6 The principal object of this nvention is to provide a machine for vend1ng irregular, perishable, or, delicate artlcles Wl'llCh are not suited to being ejected from a machine by mechanical means.

Another object of the invention lsto provide a selective vending machine adapted for use as an automatic dispenser of food-dishes, sundries, groceries and the like, so that the owner of'a machine may en age 1n a. merchandising or like business w thout personal attention at all times.

Another object of the invention is to provide a vending machine, capable of. hold1ng a plurality of articles of Various sizes and one of the articles may be .o-btained'upon depositin the requisite coin.

Anot er object of the invention Is to provide a selective vending'machine of comparat'ively large capacity. Other objects and advantagesof my invention will appear hereinafter and will be better understood because of the order. in

vwhich they appear.-

I have illustrated-my inventionby the accompanying drawings in which i I Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of the said embodiment.

Figure 2 is aplan view thereof. Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross horizontal section. thereof on a larger scale, seen on a Figure 4 is a view in section seen on a line 4-4. v

' Fi ure 5 is a view' in section seen onajine55.

Figure 6 1s a view in section seen on a line 66.

More specifically, in carrying out my invention in thisembodiment I provide a cir cular magazine 10 provided with a plurality of circumferentially arranged outwardly opening pockets or pigeon-holes 11. The pockets being radially disposed, are of decreasing width. inwardly, and while the shapes, from which machine any selectedv .tical-divisional walls 14, andthe continuous spiral wall 15. Said spiral wall is provided w1th rack teeth 16 entirely co-extensive thereof. The magazine is provided with a central internally threaded sleeve 17 which screw-threads over a stationary externally threaded shaft 18. The shaft is fixed centrally of the casing and holds the entire weight of the magazine and its contents. The

helical pitch of the threads on the shaft is the same as the helical pitch of the spiral wall.

A pinion 19 is provided which is revoluble in a fixed bearing-and said pinion is therefore always in mesh with the teeth in the spiral wall. Thus by rotating the pinion the magazine is revolved and changes its elevationv and all the pockets in the magazine eventually pass a given point.

The casing 20 is suitably arranged to enclose the magazine-and its contents and is of skeleton construction with glass panels 21 so .that the contents of-the machine is visible to a large extent. The total lengthor height of the magazine is only one half that of the casingso that it can move from uppermost to lowermost osition within the casing.

Centrally o the casing I provide a door 22 thru which, as will be explained hereinafter the contentsof an aligned pocket may be Withdrawn. Externally of the machine there is provided a selecting crank 23 which drives bevel gears 24 and 25. The pinion is fixed to revolve with the bevel gear 25 so that by turn ing the crank the magazine is revolved.

It will be'apparent now,-that a person standing externally of the machine, by turning the crank may bring anyone of the pockets in the magazine into registration or alignment with the door.

- The door is hinged on a shaft 26 and carries a pair of spaced lugs 27. When the door is opened, by raising the lower end, the lugs swing into the aligned pocket and prevent rotationof the magazine.

The door is framed on each side by hollow side flanges 28 and a bottom flange 29. One of the side flanges is provided with an aperture 30 and the door carries a hook 351 arranged to extend thru the aperture, into the interior of the hollow flange, when the door is closed. Wit-hin the corresponding hollow flange there is provided a latch 33 pivoted as at 34 to the wall of said flange. Said latch is adapted to fall over the hook and engage same to hold the door locked in closed position. The hollow flange containing the latch continues upwardly as at 28 and provides a coin chute-35 which begins at a slot 36. The latch is provided with a vertical arm 37 having a surface 37 inclined at a slight angle. An outer portion 38 of the walls of the hollow flange, co-acts with the inclined surface of the latch to provide a coin receiving space 39.

Said space is a continuation of the coin chute and is only wide enough to accommodate the denomination of coin by which the machine is intended to be operated. When the latch is in normal position to hold the door locked the surface 37 is so disposed that the space 39 is of slightly decreasing diameter downwardly. The door carries a protruding pin 40 arranged to project into space 39. when the door is in closed position. The hollow flange continues below the door as at 28* and leads to a suitable coin receiving box (not shown).

To operate the machine a patron turns the crank to bring the desired article into position before the door. The entire contents of the machines can be seen and the crank may be turned in either direction. Several revolutions of the crank will move the magazine from uppermost to lowermost position and during such movement all of the pockets will pass before the. door successively. A wide variety of goods or articles may be kept-on the shelves, such as groceries, sundries, sandwiches, pie cuts, food dishes, and 1 is also well adapted.

the like. The machine to serving drinks in glasses, cups, or bottles.

When the desired article is alignedwith the door a coin'is inserted in the coinslot and falls thru the chute into the coin space. The coin falls rapidly and acts on the inclined surface of the wedge to force the latch into raised osition. The weight and blow of the fal ing coin, and the slight incline of the surface 37, results in the latch being raised uite forcibly against the slight resistance of t 1e spring 42. The coin finally comes to rest against the pin 40 and remains in that position, holding the latch in raised position.

Now the door may be opened, and the contents of the aligned pocket may be reached by the purchaser. I

\Vhen the door-is moved toward open position the pin is withdrawn from under the coin and said coin falls thru the passage 28", opening of the door moves the lugs into such position as to preclude turning of the magazine. \Vhcn a patron has received the article purchased, he may,'or may not, shut the door completely, but before the magazine can be turned again the door must be pressed into locked position. The lugs and latch are so arranged that the door will be caught by the latch before the lugs are ontirely retracted from the corresponding pocket.

It will be apparent now that I have provid- 1 ed a simple and large capacity machine adapted to vend a great variety of'irregular articles, 'of such nature that they cannot be handled by the usual automatic vending machine, and while I have shown and described a specific form of coin controlled means for the door, it is understood that any suitable coin controlled means may be employed.

While I have shown and described specific constructions and arrangements of partsfor the magazine, casing, door and other parts it is understood that I do not limit myself to any specific construction or arrangement of parts and may alter same as occasion requires, without enlarging the scope of myinvention within the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a selective vending machine, a casing provided with a closure movable to open and closed positions respectively, a spirally grooved shaft in said casing, a revoluble n'iagazine threaded on said shaft to ascend said shaft as the magazine is revolved; said magazine provided with a plurality of article holding pockets arranged in a spiral series whereby revolution of said magazine will bring the pockets successively into registration. with said closure. v I

2. In a selective vending machine, a casing provided with a closure movable to open i and closed positions repeQtively, a spirally grooved shaft in said casing, a. revoluble magazine threaded on said shaft to ascend said shaft as the magazine is revolved; said magazine provided with a plurality of article holding )ockets arranged in a spiral series whereby revolution of said magazine will bring the pockets successively into registra tion with said.closure, and locking means operable upon movement of said closure to open position to lock said magazine against move ment.

3. In a selective vending machine, a casing provided with a closure movable to open and closed positions. respectively, a spirally grooved shaft in said casing, a revoluble ion magazine threaded on said shaft to ascend said shaft as the magazine is revolved; said magazine provided with a plurality of article holding pockets arranged in a'spiral se- 5 ries whereby revolution of said magazine will bring the pockets successively into registra-.

tion vvith said closure, and locking means operable upon movement of said closure to opeifii position to lock said magazine against move- I ment, said means permitting of free selective 10 movement of said closure When the closure is moved vto closed osition.

In testimonywhereof I aflix my signature.

' WILLIAM C. CUTLER. 

